


Of paper boats and goldfishes

by ca_te



Category: Nabari no Ou
Genre: Brotherhood, Gen, Gen Fic, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-09-08
Updated: 2010-09-08
Packaged: 2017-10-11 14:35:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/113486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ca_te/pseuds/ca_te
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Written on 21 April 2009.</p>
    </blockquote>





	Of paper boats and goldfishes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dreaming_yue](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Dreaming_yue), [Pumpkinguitar](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=Pumpkinguitar).



> Written on 21 April 2009.

I watch as my breath forms white, little clouds in front of my face. The cold wind makes the bamboo rustling all around. My hair fall over my eyes; I notice that some of them are blond again, as I tie them I think of that day. The first time I dyed my hair. I remained mesmerized by the pink staining the white porcelain of the bath tube. I was already with Kairoshuu, I was closed in the bathroom of the Hattori san's house, and Raimei already hated me. After minutes in silence I closed the water and looked at myself in the mirror. I smiled sadly as I noticed it was still me.

Now I can't dye them but I don't mind.

I chuckle as I hear Gau screaming, trying to catch a duck. It's nice to be with him, it feels like being a family.

The cold air brings to me the smell of wet earth, the sound of the river near by is light in my ears.

We used to play a lot with water, me and Raimei, when we were little, she always asked me to make paper boats for her, but they used to sank, she always smiled at me and said " Don't worry, we'll make another one". One day she made one for me, it was made of blue paper, she had painted my name on it, it was white over the blue.

As I watch the sky I remember that present and I want to see her, but I'm sure it will happen, I feel a thread pulling me, pulling us.

Lately I think a lot about threads, is a thought that first appeared the last time I saw Miharu; he was hidden in a black coat, and his eyes were more far away than ever, I though he was holding a broken thread. My thoughts run around the black hole he created in my memory. I have to say Miharu that I don't hate him.

\- Raikou-san.

Gau's voice reminds me a kite, 'cause it's to me full of colours and it reminds me of the new life we have in front of us. My thoughts wander towards my mom for an instant but then I begin to walk towards our tent.

It took hours to us to assemble it, I laughed so much my chest ached; sometimes I think I'm still a child after all.

He is sitting on the ground, his hair are a mess, and the coat is almost falling from his shoulders, I smile and sit down near him.

\- So did you catch it?

\- Does it seem like I caught that evil animal, Raikou-san?

His cheeks are flushed, I wish he could stop using that "san". But in the end it doesn't matter, I have never thought I could have friends…Raimei knew that. I was always on my own, me and my sword.

\- Don't worry, Gau. We'll found something.

\- Hey Raikou-san. You think a lot lately, ne?

I look at his face, he seems like a child who's afraid of having said to much.

I want to hug him. I caress his hair instead.

\- Yes, that's true. I think is this place.

He looks at his shoes.

\- And the fact that we started all anew, together.

He lifts his gaze, swallows and looks down again. I caress more strongly his hair and let my hand slide down over his cheek.

\- R-Raikou-san.

I smile.

The air is calm now, but the bamboo is still moving; I bring my right hand to the sword, Gau looks at me and then at the bamboo around us.

Then I hear it, her voice.

When we were still living together, when there were still mom and dad, her voice used to echo in the calm rooms, it was as a little bird. My little bird, my sister. She used to run all around the place, with her wooden sword, laughing and asking us to practice with her.

The first thing I see is the blond of her hair, I still am not sure if I want that gold to come back, I don't deserve to have the same hair colour as my mom had. I bit my lower lip.

\- Raikou…

It's weird to see her again, somehow she seems older, she is so similar to mother it aches but then I see that sparking in her eyes, like a little fish swimming in clear water.

I get up.

\- I'm glad you find me.

I chuckle as she begins to shout something along the lines of "Areyoucrazy?Youmademeworrysomuch!Youidiot!"

Now her face is red, and she is half smiling and half crying. I don't think about anything, I don't have any doubt this time. I just hug her, as she punches lightly my chest.

We remain still, I hear Gau shifting and then putting the teapot on the fire, I'll have to thank him for this later. Slowly Raimei hugs me back. This is the second time she shouts at me when we meet. The first time was when we finally returned brother and sister, back then my heart was about to burst with joy, like a firework.

There was a time when we went to see fireworks together every summer, I wish I could bring Raimei to see them again soon. It was nice to see them reflected in her huge eyes and think that we would be always together, no matter what.

\- C'mon, lets sit down.

I see Gau looking at me and I smile, he smiles back, and it's one of the sweetest things I've ever seen. I'm a samurai, I know, but I can't avoid to like sweet, cute things. They make me feel happy, maybe I developed this love for cute things when I was far from Raimei, it was like trying to be closer to the girl I imagined my sister was.

We sit here, all three together, sipping tea. There are more little, white clouds around me now. I don't try to imagine the man I can be now, I just feel the hot water on my tongue, Raimei's breath and Gau's arm against mine. I think of all the times we have showed our bracelets to our enemies. Such a hard path to finally arrive here, to finally sip tea with them.

Ducks quack among the bamboo, Gau makes one of his weird faces, probably thinking of the horrible beast from before, I laugh. Raimei smiles, her lips over the brim of the mug. Is nice to see her smile.

We continue to drink the heat painting our faces with red, I feel something loosing up inside of me.

\- So what have you been up to, Raimei?

And that word seems a sugar cube on my tongue. And it's like bringing back all the years we couldn't share, all the silly and important chats we couldn't have because of my stubbornness.

We are back to the time when she used to run to me as she came back from school, chatting about what she had done during the day, still nothing more that a little goldfish.

I look at her while she's talking about the others, about her practices and I can't help thinking that now we really are fishes set free in the sea, but in the end we have always played with water, together.


End file.
